Filing device



Jain. 15, 1935.

' A. A. AINSWOBTH \FILING DEVICE Filed April 19, 1952 O O 0 O O o O o OO O & O O

Patented dam. s, we

Albert ii. worth, (lg, N. if.

Application April 19, 1932, Serial No. 6%,209

The invention, relates to filing devices for adhesively retaining aseries of slips in stepped relation and comprising more particularly abacking having a gummed surface or strip and having a series of spacedmeans for enabling the op-' erator to locate each slip in its properposition on the gummed surface or strip.

According to its preferred embodiment, the invention consists of a cardor sheet of paper perforated along and parallel to the side or end sothat it can be attached to ring binders and/or pegboards or otherdevices, and having two or more narrow gummed strips or surfaces alsorunning parallel to the top or side, and in connection with the saidperforations said card may also have guide lines running parallel to thetop or side or both, so as to insure perfect alignment in the permanentfiling of all papers which were originally only temporarily filed foranalytical purposes.

I have also devised a novel method of automatically transferring fileddocuments, papers, etc., and retaining such papers in the form in whichthey were originally filed.

My device is easily applicable as a transfer member to any ring binder,pegboard or similar device, and its cheapness of production makes it astandard commercial article rather than a costly specialty.

When my perforated sheet or transfer member is put into a ring binder,the papers filed in the binder can be quickly and easily transferred tothe card or transfer member by causing them to adhere thereto and thenthe transfer member may be filed in one of my tongued filing sheets orfolders described in my Patent 1,461,570, for Filing device, dated July10, 1923, and in my application Serial No. 499,087, for Paper files,filed November 29, 1930, now Patent No. 1,862,450, dated June 7, 1932,or in any other desirable manner. The transfer member and attachedpapers may then be placed for future use in a regular filing cabinet andits replacement cost is negligible as compared with prior transfermembers.

In the accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my filing card or transfer member with anumber of slips attached, both the card and slips being mounted upon aseries of suitable spaced prongs; and a Fig. 2 is a plan view of thesame, showing one of the slips detached from the upper gummed surfaceand partially lifted up and turned over.

Similar reference letters denote the same parts in both figures.

The transfer card or backing A preferably con-- sists of a sheet ofcardboard or the like of suitable thickness and stiffness This card iscoated with two or more bands or stripes of gum or other adhesivematerial B and C, and at or along one or more of its margins it issuitably perforated as The first slip is placed at one end of the card,and each succeeding slip is placed over'the. previously mounted slipwith one edge overhanging, so as to be in contact with the adhesivebands on the transfer card. In the drawing I have shown the first slip Eat the right-hand end. This slip is mounted fiat upon'the card, and itmay be secured to the card throughout its entire width, if desired. Onlythe overhanging portions of the remaining slips can be attached to thecard, leaving the remaining portions free to be lifted up for inspectionof the slip below. Each slip may be caused to adhere to the card as itis placed in position or at any time thereafter, so long as the slipsand card remain on the prongs. 1

It is immaterial what kind of prong device is used. I may use a billfile of the type in which opposing series of curved prongs are used, one

. series being hinged. I may also use an ordinary pegboard or any kindof bill file having a series of prongs. Other forms of fastening devicemay be used, such asclips. I

By the above described method and article or apparatus, documents orpapers of any kind may, be instantly transferred to the backing orinsert and held firmly in the position in which they were originallyfiled in the binders or on the pegboard. This provides a simple,efiicient and economical transfer backing or member, which, after thefiled sheets, documents or records are attached, readily becomes a, partof the record itself, and being made of paper or light cardboard, thewhole is then easily filed for future reference and in. the exact formin which the various papers were originally assembled for the purpose ofstatistical or other analysis, thus doing away entirely with thenecessity of the expensive ring or other binder and the equallyexpensive and cumbersome transfer members of the prior art, since aninexpensive pegboard-can easily be substituted for ring binders, etc. I

I do not limit myself to any particular adhesive material. While I haveused the term gum", any sticky material may be used, either in a dry ormoist state, and if dry or hard, it may be softened by heat or moisture.The bands B and C may be coatings or stripes applied directly to thecard or they may consist of strips gummed on both sides adhesivelysecured to the card.

I have shown a number of perforations in each slip. The exact number isnot material, it only being necessary that there shall be oneperforation in the part which overlaps the underlying a slip and a pairof perforations in the other part.

.. The greater the number of perforations, the

greater the number of variations in the spacing of the slips and theconsequent width of the ,overlapping portions.

stitute a member'of two pairs.

The backing A is preferably provided with a plurality of guide lines Hrunning parallel to the sides of the backing and crossing the gummedbands or stripes B .and C at right angles thereto.

These lines assist in securing alignment of the slips E filed on thebacking. Guide lines I parall e] with the bands or stripes may also beemployed to insure perfect alignment.

While I have described a pronged device for holding the sheet andslipsin proper relation while being secured together, other means may beemployed for performing this step of my method. For example, I may use aseries of spaced clips under which the edges of the backa ing sheet andslips may be placed, a suitable stop or stops being provided foraligning said edges, or the clips themselves may form or be providedwith stops.

Although I prefer a base provided with spaced prongs for locating theslips on the backing sheet, this object may be attained without the useof such a device. The slips may be located on the backing sheet bysimply placing the slips on the sheet in such positions that a pair ofthe perforations of the slips registers with a pair on the sheet.

What I claim is:

1. A device for adhesively retaining a series of slips in steppedrelation, comprising a backing having a gummed surface, said backingalso having a series of pairs of spaced perforations for enabling theoperator to locate each slip in its proper position on the gummedsurface.

2. A device for adhesively retaining a series of slips in steppedrelation, comprising a sheet having a gummed surface and a series ofpairs of spaced means for enabling-the operator to locate each slip inits proper position 'on the gummed surface.

3; A device for adhesively retaining a series of slips in differentpositions, comprising 'a backing having a gummed surface, said backingalso having aseries of pairs of spaced perforations-for enabling theoperator to locate each slip in its proper position on the gummedsurface.

4. A device for adhesively retaining a series of slips in differentpositions, comprising a sheet having a gummed surface and a series ofpairs of spaced means for enabling the operator to locate each slip inits proper position on the gummed surface.

5. A method of filing papers which comprises impaling a backing sheet ona plurality of pairs ,of prongs, impaling at least some of the papers ondifferent pairs of said prongs, and causing each 015 said papers to'adhere to the surface of said sheet in the place where it is held byits prongs.

6. A filing set comprising a backing sheet hav ing a plurality of pairsof perforations, in combination with a plurality of slips, each sliphav- .ing,a smaller number of perforations than the backing sheet, atleast two perforations in each slip being spaced to correspond with apair cf perforations in the backing sheet, the surface of one elementbeing gummed at least, in part where a slip makes contact with thebacking sheet.

'1. A method of filing papers .which comprises 8. A device foradhesively retaining a series of slips in stepped relation, comprising asheet-having a stripe of gum on its surface and a series of. pairs ofspaced means for enabling the operator to locate each slip in its properposition on the gummed surface.

9. A filing set comprising a backing sheet having a plurality of pairsof perforations, in combination with a plurality of slips, each sliphaving a smaller number of perforations than the backing sheet, at leasttwo perforations in each slip being spaced tocorrespond with a pair ofperforations in the backing sheet, the surface of one element beinggummed at least in part where a slip makes contact with the backingsheet, and means for registering a pair of perforations of each slipwith a pair of perforations on the backhaving a gummed surface and aseries of pairs of spaced means for enabling the operator to locate eachslip in' its proper position on. the gumme surface, anda series of guidelines parallel to one edge of the backing to insure perfect alignment ofsaid slips in the permanent filing thereof.

12. The combination with a sheet having a gummed band parallel with oneedge of the sheet, a plurality of .slips adhesively secured across saidgummed band in stepped relation to each other, said sheet having meansfor procuring alignment of each slip on the gummed bandcomprising aseries of lines ruled on the sheetv andextending across to the gummedband.

13. The combination with a sheet having a gummed band parallel with oneedge of the sheet. a plurality of slips adhesively secured across saidgummed band in stepped relation to each other, said sheet having meansfor procuring alignment ofeach slip on the gummed band comprising aseries of lines ruled on the sheet and extendin across to the gummedband, and a second series of guide lines drawn parallel to the band.

14. In combination with a sheet having a pair of spaced gummed bandsparallel with one edge of the sheet, a plurality ofslips adhesivelysecured across both said gummed bands in stepped relation to each other,and a series of spaced means carried by the sheet for enabling theoperator to locate each slipin its proper position on-the gummed bands.

- ALBERT A. AINSWORTH.

